Second Looks
by silly whim
Summary: [CHAPTER 2 UP] After 3 years in Juvenile Hall, Numbuh 4 is sent to a "troubled teens" camp, where he finds a love he's lost and can't gain back, and a friend he never thought he'd be falling for. (eventually, it'll be a 54 fic)
1. Chapter 1

AN: hello. Boy, that's a crummy way to start an author's note, eh? Anyways, this is my first KND fic (*does jig*), and my first semi-serious one at that...so go easy on me. I'm not much romance writer, either, so don't expect a mush-fest...which brings me to another note- this is one of those rare 54 shipper fics (yeah, I'm weird like that). It starts out kinda 34ish, but don't be deterred, my friends!...I'm making this as original as I can...uuuh...that's about all I have to say about that...  
  
Disclaimer: don't own anything. End of story.  
  
*************  
  
"Beatles!" a voice boomed, and there was the creak of a large door opening, "you got mail" the voice paused as a letter was thrown to the resident, and left with "and cheer up, for God's sake, it's your last full day in Juvenile Hall." The guard closed the white metal door with a clank, leaving Wally alone again, who had scarcely moved from his cot, but was fingering the letter in his hands; it was from his parents, who, by the way, hadn't talked to him in person since the day he was put in there, three years ago. He gave a frustrated moan and tore open the letter, and started to read:  
  
Dear Wallabee,  
  
First of all, your father and I are thrilled you're finally coming home, we've missed you more than you know (Wally scoffed).  
  
But just because we're happy for your return doesn't mean we aren't still displeased with your behavior. Though you've no doubt learned the error of your ways ("Yeah, right"), we think the source of all this anger your anger you seem to have is through lack of self-control. That's why we enrolled you in a Children's Correctional Camp (CCC, for short). It's a place where kids just like you can learn to control themselves, and get professional help; we sent you a brochure so you can learn more a bout it. Think of it as a summer camp for "troubled teens". You start there in a week.  
  
Well, that's all we really had to say. Remember, we love you, and we can't wait to see you again.  
  
With love,  
  
Mom and Dad  
  
Wally sat staring at the letter in shock for some time, and then his annoyance began to kick in. "Correctional camp?" he cried, not caring that he was the only one inside the cell to hear, "I thought this place was supposed to 'correct' me. They can't wait to see me, and yet they send me to a stupid CAMP!!" At this point he jumped up, ran across the room, and pounded his fist on a part of the wall that had previously been chipped from his "fits". "Cruddy...parents...messing...with life...suffered enough...already..." he said in between blows to the concrete.  
  
After a period of senseless punching, he turned back to his bed, where the brochure was sitting. He mumbled various incoherent things as he snatched the pamphlet and scanned the contents.  
  
"'The Children's Correctional Camp is a place where young teens can learn control themselves, making friends along the way'-yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before," he read aloud to himself, "'The facility is divided into three parts: anger management, substance abuse rehabilitation, and trauma counseling.' Oh, well, that's just lovely, except for the anger management, substance abuse rehabilitation, and trauma counseling parts. Geesh, why don't they just throw in mind controlling while they're at it?" Wally gave a heavy sigh of helplessness, gradually accepting his fate. He lay down, for the last time, on his old springy cot, and remained restless until the guards came to take him home in the morning.  
  
*************  
  
The week after his release was nothing short of torture. Upon returning to the old neighborhood, which was now decapitated, and devoid of once happy kids, he would have given anything to return to Juvi. Even his house wasn't immune to the wear and tear; he literally dropped his duffle bag at the sight of his old, worn house. He could barely stand to live in that place, and his parents' overly welcome comments and faces didn't help the matter.  
  
It was around five in the morning of the day he would be laving for camp when Wally finally decided to get out and about the block. He put on his old orange sweatshirt and jeans, just like old times, and sauntered out of the house into the brisk cold. He had gotten over the fact that the area was indeed not as it used to be, and walked quickly down the street, taking in everything one more time before his departure. His toddle, however, stopped short when he came to the KND tree house; he instinctively gazed at it in silence.  
  
The headquarters, too, had seen better days. Its structure was deteriorating, the painted numbers were chipping, and the tree itself was dead. Wally made a low growling noise as he recalled the day the five operatives had been decommissioned, and they're spots given to a new group of youngsters. He remembered their faces, teeming with inexperience and stupid innocence. The day the five left was the day that part of the KND met it's destruction. All five of the squirts had no doubt abandoned their posts, as the tree house was now empty, and seemed as though it hadn't been used in no less than a year. Wally let out a shriek of disgust, picked up various stones, and went about throwing them erratically at the deserted house. His anger spent, he took a seat on the sidewalk and stared up at his once proud second home.  
  
While he stared he thought; not only of the incapable successors, but also of the able-bodied crew before them-the only friends he ever had, and the only ones he had ever lost. The four flashed in his mind constantly, but one always outshone the rest.  
  
"I miss you Kuki..." he muttered, eyes fixated on the green '3' painted on one part of the building, "wish you were here. I swear, if I eva see you again, I'm gonna tell you how I really feel...no more 'what iffin' about it. It's not gonna be age ten all ova again..." His thoughts soon drifted to her, and he remained that way for roughly an hour, until the person interrupted him he wanted to hear least.  
  
"Wallabee", his mom called down the street in a drawling accent, "it's already 6:30, hun, you don't want to be late for the bus to...well, you know where."  
  
With a grumble, the camper-to-be reluctantly made his way to the car, throwing his duffle bag, along with himself, in the back seat upon reaching it upon reaching it. His parents, with fake smiled plastered on their faces, followed suit. Within three hours, they were nearing their destination.  
  
*************  
  
"You're gonna love it there, son", Wally's father said through his clenched grin.  
  
"How do you know? Eva been there?" came the snappy reply; after that, the adult was quiet.  
  
"What your fatha is tryin ta say", his mother broke the silence, "is that he's sure you'll have a wonderful time...that's all."  
  
"Oh, is that it?" Wally was suddenly filled with annoyance, "that's all he's gotta say, after I've spent three flippin years in Juvenile Hall, waiting to come home, and actually wanting to see you two again! Well, that's just fine and dandy!" at this he threw his arms up in fake defeat. "I'm sure I'll have a I'll have a 'wonderful' time in this stupid 'teen help' camp you forced me to got to without any input in the matter, as well." Following that little speech, NO one bothered to say anything until they arrived.  
  
The car stopped in front of the forested drop-off area, and Wally and his bag were left with only the comment of 'have fun, and we love you' from a teary eyed mother, and the vehicle sped down the dirt road; a cold glare followed until it was out of sight.  
  
"Hello", an upbeat voice exclaimed, followed by an even perkier looking counselor carrying a clipboard, "you must be...Wallabee Beatles" she said as she scrolled down the board "well, in that case, I guess it's 'g'day, mate', eh?" she laughed in a high-pitched, almost taunting tone that right away made Wally want to knock her face in.  
  
"Yeah, that's me" he said behind clenched teeth.  
  
"Great! We've been expecting you! You can just call me Molly, your friendly camp leader! I've already registered you, and set you up with your guide buddy!"  
  
"Guide...buddy?" He hated the way the last word sounded.  
  
Molly just nodded. "Yes-sir-e-Bob, every newcomer to our camp is paired up with an eager volunteer camper who, let's just say, 'knows the ropes'...yours should be here any second-" but she was cut off by a strangely familiar voice sounding from behind.  
  
"Hey, counse, Ab-er-I'm here fo the 'guide buddy' thang." A tall, African American girl with long black hair approached the two.  
  
"Ah, there she is. I'd like you to meet-" but she didn't have to go any further; both kids were gawking at each other in utter astonishment.  
  
"ABBY?!!"  
  
*************  
  
AN: yeah, sorry to leave you there and all, but the last part was a bit of a quickie for me. It's slow, but it'll get better...and more 54 related, (trust me, he's gotta lose his love before he can discover another one; that's the way this fic works). And I know it might seem a little angsty, but give the kid a break, he's been in Juvi for three years (cause later to be discussed)...you're bound to think a lot after all the isolation. This was just the exposition. PLEASE, PLEASE R & R...I need to know how y'all like it so far! 


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Goodness gracious! I haven't updated in one whole month! I'm VERY VERY SORRY if I have angered anyone, or at least mildly annoyed anyone. I've been grounded from the computer for weeks (grade issues, y'know). But hey! I updated! I ain't that lazy no more! I'll update more often now. Sorry about any grammatical or spelling errors, it's late and I wrote this in one day.  
  
DISCLAIMER: nothing is mine!  
  
*************  
  
Wally was stunned. Was he really staring face to face with one of his long- lost teammates? "No way...it couldn't be...what would ABBY be doing in a nuthouse like this..." he thought to himself. But as the girl's shocked expression turned into the painfully familiar smile only Abby could pull off, it was certain. "It IS you..." he choked, forgetting his role as a guy's guy.  
  
Abby just smiled and nodded, calm and collected as always. "Man, afta all these years. You're here." And in a manner Wally had never seen before, she toppled him in a hug. "You're HERE! I just can't BELIEVE it!" She now gripped him by the shoulders and shook him. "Where have you been?" She then burst into sobs on his shoulder.  
  
It took a while for them to both regain themselves after that-Abby mostly. She did breathing exercises with the help of Molly, whilst pacing back and forth. "She's very easily shook up nowadays", the counselor explained to Wally, "but she'll be fine now. It's great that you two know each other, though. It's as if you've already made a friend. Oh I just can't wait until-"  
  
"-Look, lady, do you think you could just give us some one-on-one time here?" The annoyed teen interrupted. "I'm sure we'll get along without your cruddy help!" He glared as Molly gave a mixed look of afraid and surprised, and walked off without a word. With her gone, he once again turned to Abby. "Y'alright? ya had quite the fit there. And what was with the breathing routine?"  
  
"Oh, i's alright...just sometimes, the medication-"  
  
"Medication?"  
  
"...There's a lotta thangs you've missed in the passed three years, Wally..."  
  
The boy furrowed his brow suspiciously. "Like what?" There came no reply. "WHAT? Just tell me what's been happening around 'ere! Because in case you haven't noticed, I haven't seen any of my friends for a very, very long time!"  
  
Abby hung her head for a moment and sighed deeply. She brought her head level with his (they were now the exact same height) and smiled weakly. "I guess soona or lata it was gonna come ta this...if I tell my story, you're gonna hafta tell yos, alright". Her companion nodded, so she began from the very beginning.  
  
It had started about a month after the decommissioning. They had all went down their separate roads. Abby's just happened to be more of an interstate highway. Her life seemed incomplete without the KND, and problems at home didn't make it any better. Her and her family were always arguing, and Abby would get angrier and angrier, and feel more and more pain. So to kill that pain, she did what any depressed teenager would have done- she took drugs.  
  
The weed and needles had brought her into a whole new world of gangs and corruption, and she had almost enjoyed it- until her parents found out. After weeks of useless therapy, they were forced to dump her here.  
  
"And that's how it happened", she said solemnly; she had managed to tell her tale without the least bit of emotion.  
  
Wally stared at her wide-eyed. And all this time he had thought he had it bad. "Wow...I'm sorry- I mean- I never knew...if I had, I woulda neva forced you to..." he trailed off.  
  
"No, i's okay. You woulda gotten it outta me soona or lata..." She paused for a second, before demanding Wally's story in return.  
  
"It's nothin, really...I've spent my time in Juvi."  
  
"Juvenile Hall? Are you serious?"  
  
"Who's tellin story 'ere?"  
  
"Sorry...geesh"  
  
"Well, anyways, I spent it there. That's pretty much it."  
  
"What was it like?"  
  
"It's betta than this joint, I s'pose. They may've treated me rotten, but I gritted my teeth and beared it...three years, I spent there."  
  
"Dang. Three years. What'd you do ta deserve THAT?"  
  
Wally stopped cold. His mind raced as he thought back to when he was thrown in that horrible place. He couldn't tell her the real reason. At least not yet. "Oh, y'know, vandalism, loitering, the usual teenage shenanigans."  
  
Abby nodded slowly in understanding, looking him over once. "Well, one thing's for certain" she said, "the only thing that HASN'T changed 'bout you is yo looks. The same ol' orange hoodie and jeans, same ol' stupid bowl-cut." She laughed as she frazzled his hair.  
  
Wally desperately pushed her hands away, chuckling as well. "Yeah, yeah. I could say the opposite for you, though. I mean, just look atchya!"  
  
It was true; over the years, Abby had ditched her tomboy attire for a new look. She now wore tight fitted jeans and an equally snug camp shirt; her hair, now hat-free, hung loose and flowing down to her thighs. Wally had to admit- she looked good.  
  
"I guess I have changed my style up a bit-fo the betta, I hope. Anyways, s'pose we should start with the tour."  
  
So she took him all around the camp, showing him the arts and crafts area, the sports field, the buildings where they did the counseling and whatnot, the bunking cabins, and lastly, the mess hall. "Great. I'm STARVING!" Wally cried as he entered; Abby followed close behind, shaking her head in mild disgrace. "It's about time I had some lunch around 'ere!" he said once more as he pelted toward the buffet tables. He was barely paying attention to anything but the food when he felt himself bump into something, or rather, someone.  
  
"Hey! Watch where you going!" the camper, clearly a girl, chided in a weary voice.  
  
"Oh, sorry" replied Wally still intent on being the first in line. "I wasn't paying atten-" but he froze when he saw whom he had collided with. "-tion" he finished, choking on the syllable a bit.  
  
There, right in front of him, was none other than Kuki Sanban; the girl he had secretly loved for most of his life. Wally was speechless, even more so than when he reunited with Abby. But somehow, this run-in wasn't nearly as happy. Kuki, while thoroughly shook, didn't have the same smile she used to wear, and the sun that always seemed to shine about her had turned gloomy. Her hair was chopped short, she wore a plain green fitted tee and black jeans, and she was paler than usual. "Wally?" was the only word that escaped her shaking mouth.  
  
Abby interrupted the awkward moment as she ran toward them. "Heh, guess I fogot ta mention who else was here..." she rubbed the back of her head slightly.  
  
"Did you eva!" Wally looked a little displeased at Abby. She knew he had a thing for her, why had she waited so long to tell him? "It's great to see ya again, Kuki" he cheerily smiled at the girl in front of him. He took a deep breath. "Now's as good a time as any to tell her...here I go..." he thought to himself, and opened his mouth to say the words he had bottled up inside him for years on end. But his proud moment was cut short by the sight of Kuki walking away with "please, I don't feel like talking right now..."  
  
Wally let out his held breath, and watched her go, staring idiotically. This was even more of a shock than their initial meeting. That girl definitely wasn't the same Kuki he had grown so fond of during his childhood. "What just happened?" he asked blandly of his friend.  
  
Abby had seen the whole ordeal, and calmly placed her hand on his shoulder. "She's probably just shocked right now. She's even more easily whiled than I am, y'know. Just give her some time, she's been through a lot."  
  
"But I- she-..."  
  
"Time, Wally, time. Now, about lunch..."  
  
Wally sighed heavily. Waiting was not something he normally did. But if he was going to have to put his love on hold, he would. He reluctantly followed Abby to the spreads, and then to the table where he just poked at his food, hunger gone.  
  
Dinner was a repeat of the same thing, with Kuki staying as far away from the two of them as possible. Abby would just keep making excuses for her, like "she's tired" and "she's still coping with the fact that you're here". As Wally said his good nights to Abby, who headed for her cabin, Molly approached him; he groaned.  
  
"Well, if your done with your 'one-on-one time', I guess I can show you to bed now" there was a touch of grudging in her voice, but Wally ignored it. She led him to a small concrete building, instead of a cabin. "This is where the newbies sleep for the first night, until we can get them cabin arrangements. You'll be all alone for tonight, though."  
  
The light flicked on in the room to reveal an almost all white area with several bunk beds lining the walls, along with a door leading to a bathroom. "You're stuff has already been brought here; it's in that corner over there...good night, then, see you early in the morning" the door closed before Wally had time to reply. He grumbled angrily to himself as he quickly dressed and turned out the lights.  
  
Suffice to say, he didn't get much sleep.  
  
*************  
  
AN: So there's the second chapter, hope ya like it...*yawn* I'm REALLY sleepy right now, so this author's note isn't that long. It'll just keep getting better, don't worry about that. Please R & R, and any constructive suggestions are welcome. 


End file.
